Editing Traquair House (section)

==History==

[[File:Traquair House, 1814.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.4|Traquair House in 1814]]
The house is built on the site of a hunting seat used by the Scottish kings from the 12th century, though no part of the present building can be dated with certainty before the 15th century. [[Alexander I of Scotland|Alexander I]] was the first Scottish king to stay and hunt at Traquair. At that time it was a remote "castle", surrounded by forest. Upon [[Alexander III of Scotland|Alexander III's]] death in 1286, the peace of the [[Scottish Borders|Borders region]] was shattered and Traquair became a key link in the chain of defence that guarded the Tweed Valley against English invasion.

Over the next two centuries Traquair's ownership changed often, at times coming under the control of the English, and at others, the Scottish throne. In the 1460s [[James III of Scotland|James III]] conferred the estate on Dr William Rogers, an eminent musician, and one of his favourites. After holding the lands for upwards of nine years, Dr Rogers sold them for an insignificant sum in 1478 to [[James Stewart, 1st Earl of Buchan|the Earl of Buchan]]. The Earl gifted the estate to his illegitimate son, James Stuart (1480-1513), 1st [[Laird]] of [[Traquair]], in 1491. James Stuart obtained letters of legitimation and married the heiress of the Rutherfords, with whom he received the estates of Rutherford and Wells in [[Roxburghshire]]. He was killed at the [[Battle of Flodden]] in 1513. His daughter, Jane Stewart, had a daughter Janet  with the [[Archibald Douglas, 6th Earl of Angus|Earl of Angus]] born out of wedlock, who married [[Patrick Ruthven, 3rd Lord Ruthven]]. Traquair remained the family seat of the [[Earl of Traquair|Earls of Traquair]] for the next four centuries.

[[Mary, Queen of Scots]], visited Traquair in August 1566.<ref>John M. Gilbert, ''Elite Hunting Culture and Mary, Queen of Scots'' (Boydell, 2024), p. 143.</ref> [[James VI]] came to Traquair on 9 March 1602.<ref>[[John Duncan Mackie]], ''Calendar State Papers Scotland'', vol. 13 part 2 (Edinburgh, 1969), p. 959.</ref>

In 1875, Traquair passed to a cousin of the Stuarts, Henry Constable Maxwell. He was a direct descendant, but via the female line. The [[National Portrait Gallery, London|National Portrait Gallery]]  holds a 1992 portrait of [[Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair |url=https://www.npg.org.uk/collections/search/person/mp143307/catherine-maxwell-stuart-21st-lady-of-traquair |website=National Portrait Gallery |publisher=National Portrait Gallery, London 2018 |accessdate=6 September 2018 |quote=Catherine Maxwell Stuart, 21st Lady of Traquair by Bob Collins NPG x137506 -  September 1992}}</ref>